Artists Against Austerity: New group mobilises to fight government cuts

Artists have joined to create a new group to stand in protest at government cuts, and have called on other artists to do the same.

Image: The Guardian – Maxine Peake is a member of the new Artists Assembly

In a letter to the Guardian, published last week, they said:

“We, the newly formed Artists’ Assembly Against Austerity, are calling on writers, musicians, performers – anyone involved in the creative arts – to mobilise against cuts in public and voluntary services introduced by the coalition government.

“The People’s Assembly Against Austerity was formed in 2013 to ensure that the coalition government faces a movement of opposition broad enough and powerful enough to generate successful coordinated action against its violent programme of cuts. In June, 50,000 people marched through London to show their support for this growing movement.

“We now recognise a need to initiate an Artists’ Assembly Against Austerity to organise artists across all media, writers, musicians, performers, broadcasters, technicians, administrators, audiences and allies under our shared aim to end the cuts and protect public services. As we see it, artists have as much to lose as many other groups as a result of a dwindling public sector; the Artists’ Assembly will provide a space in which we can mobilise to effect real change.

“Our demands centre on four key issues: keep healthcare free at the point of need and resist privatisation; ensure equal access to arts education by scrapping student fees and ending cuts to creative subjects in schools and universities; provide affordable homes and studios by capping rents; and invest in the arts, which generate a significant cash benefit to the taxpayer. This means no more cuts to the cultural and heritage sectors and reinstatement of arts funding to pre-2010 levels, appropriately adjusted for inflation.”